An Air Canada plane, operated by Jazz Aviation, collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, New York, on Sunday night, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot, while two firefighters were injured. The incident occurred around 11:40 p.m. when the fire truck was responding to an unrelated emergency involving a nearby aircraft with a suspected odor in the cockpit.
Emergency response protocols were activated, and the airport was closed for investigation. The CRJ-900 plane, arriving from Montreal, had 72 passengers and four crew members onboard. It was traveling at approximately 130 mph when the collision occurred.
Following the crash, the FAA grounded flights at LaGuardia, which is expected to remain closed until Monday afternoon. Audio recordings revealed that air traffic control had given the truck permission to cross the runway before the collision. The NTSB has dispatched an investigation team, and emergency vehicles were seen surrounding the damaged aircraft. Flight disruptions due to weather conditions were already affecting operations at the airport.
This incident is part of broader issues affecting U.S. airports, including funding challenges and staffing shortages at the TSA.
Source link
